Why a Booktrail?
1703: A swashbuckling adventure with feminist spice
A Wild and True Relation
What you need to know before your trail
The story opens during the Great Storm of 1703, as smuggler Tom West confronts his lover Grace for betraying him to the Revenue. Leaving Grace’s cottage in flames, he takes her orphaned daughter Molly on board ship disguised as a boy to join his crew. But Molly, or Orlando as she must call herself, will grow up to outshine all the men of Tom’s company and seek revenge – and a legacy – all of her own.
Woven into Molly’s story are the writers – from Celia Fiennes and George Eliot to Daniel Defoe and Charles Dickens – who are transfixed by her myth and who, over three centuries, come together to solve the mystery of her life. With extraordinary verve , Sherwood remakes the eighteenth-century novel and illuminates women’s writing and women’s roles throughout history.
Travel Guide
Devon and its swashbuckling history
This is the Devon of betrayal, rivalry and murder set in Devon in 1703 at the time of the great storm. The opening chapters are rough and raw, with boats being thrown around in the angry sea. Eddystore lighthouse was destroyed.
The wild and rugged landscape dominates the pages of this novel. The places mentioned in and around Devon are well evoked with its many coves, rivers and inlets that litter the novel.
Sense of place here is very well done and lovely to see some real faces dotted about. It really brings the place and time alive!
BookTrail Boarding Pass: A Wild and True Relation
Destination: Devon Author/guide: Kim Sherwood Departure Time: 1703
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